Fishing boats and vessels are often equipped with a trolling motor for providing a relatively small amount of thrust to slowly and quietly propel the boat or vessel while an operator is fishing. Such trolling motors typically include an elongate shaft or hollow tube which is mounted at one end to a lower propulsion unit including a motor and a propeller and secured at an opposite end to an upper trolling motor head unit or junction box. The elongate tube is generally mounted to the bow or the transom (stern) of the boat by a mounting mechanism. In addition to supporting the lower propulsion unit in the water, many mounting mechanisms are also configured to allow the propulsion unit and the associated motor tube to be removed from the water when not in use.
One common mounting mechanism includes a scissor mount bracket through which the motor tube extends and is clamped in place. The scissor mount pivots about a plurality of axes to pivot the tube and lower propulsion unit from a generally vertical orientation to a generally horizontal orientation. Such scissor mounts typically include a cord secured to the end of the bracket and upon which a user pulls to pivot the tube and propulsion unit out of the water to a horizontal stowed position. Although quite common, such trolling motor scissor mounts have several disadvantages. Because the scissor mounts require the user to pull upon the cord to pivot and lift the tube and propulsion unit out of the water, such scissor mounts are difficult to use, especially with larger and heavier trolling motor systems. In addition, removal of the propulsion unit and tube requires the user to be seated adjacent the scissor mount. Removal of the motor tube and propulsion unit from the water cannot be done remotely. Moreover, adjustment of the depth of a propulsion unit with such systems is tedious and time consuming since the bracket clamp must first be loosened to allow the lower tube to be manually lifted or lowered and then the bracket must be retightened or clamped about the motor tube at the desired height. Once again, such adjustment cannot be done remotely.
In addition to trolling motors having scissor mounts, various other mounting mechanisms are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,902,967 discloses an outboard propeller mechanism which includes a crank driven sprocket which is connected to the propeller housing and which, upon being rotated, vertically lifts the entire propeller housing. Although the propeller housing may be pivoted out of the water, such pivotal movement is limited, preventing the propeller housing from being pivoted completely to a horizontal stowed position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,461 discloses a system using a complex series of pulleys and cables to remotely pivot the motor tube and propulsion unit out of the water to a stowed position. As with scissor mounts, this system requires a user to manually adjust the depth of the trolling motor propulsion unit. Each of the aforementioned trolling motor systems and their mounting mechanisms require the user to manually adjust the depth of the propulsion unit or require the user to manually lift the propulsion unit out of the water.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a trolling motor system that can be operated remotely, that adjusts the depth or trim of the propulsion unit, and that moves the propulsion unit and its associated tube from a generally vertically extending position to a generally horizontally extending stowed position.